of the beast Ian was by.
“Shit! Nick.” Ian grabbed his chest.
Nick sure knew how to bring sunshine to the rain.
“Don’t ever ask Sky that question,” Mason warned Ian. “Next time, you’ll be grabbing something between your legs.”
Though this was no laughing matter, I had to snicker at that, but it was very short lived.
“Now what?” Everett asked, dropping his sword by his side.
“We pick a cave,” Tara said.
“What? Really? Eeny, meeny, miny, mo.” Nick pointed to the one on the left. “I guess we’re going to that one.”
When we approached the first entrance, fire exploded from the ground, preventing us from going in. I tried to put it out like before, but I couldn’t do it.
“Okay,” Nick sighed, with a hint of disappointment. “I guess we go to the next one.” Nick led us to the second one and the same thing happened, then repeated on the third.
“What now?” I asked in frustration.
“You know what to do,” the voice rang menacingly around us.
His wicked laughter vibrated through the walls. This time, the voice sounded different, a little less forceful, a little less intimidating, and strangely a little less evil. And it was definitely not the voice we had been hearing since the start of this journey. My gut feeling told me that this voice belonged to Hades.
As if he’d put the thought into my mind, I knew exactly what to do. Even knowing Mason would be extremely mad at me for it, there was no choice. We had come this far. I had to do it to save my parents and get us out of there.
“If I come alone, you have to promise me you won’t harm my friends. You have to give them a clear path to home,” I requested, talking to the fire. I had no idea why I was. To me, the being was the flame.
“You dare to bargain with me?”
“Yes, I am, so do it,” I gritted through my teeth in anger. I was surprised at myself for being brave, but I’d had enough. We were down to our last straw, overwhelmed with fatigue.
“Very well. I promise,” it assured.
“You swear it?” I asked sternly.
“You have my word.”
Feeling the weight of everyone’s stare, I turned to the one that mattered the most. Mason looked at me as if I had just told him I didn’t care about him anymore.
“No,” he whispered under his breath, shaking his head. “I have to go with you.” Holding my hand, he spoke again. “I have to go with you, Sky.” He turned to the flame. “You let me go with Sky or there’s no deal.” Mason’s eyes were full of rage. His fists were tight, glowing through the space between his fingers and mine.
“Very well. If you can pass, you can come. That is the deal.”
I let go of Mason’s hand and caught my friends’ eyes one by one, as I prepared for my speech. “My friends, this is where our journey ends. Thank you for coming with me. There are no words to tell you how grateful I am. We all have lost loved ones in the past and in the present, and now it’s time to put this to an end…to a better future. You are ensured a safe road back home. Zara and Tara will lead you back.”
“Sky.” Zara took off her cape and placed it around me. Like magic, the cape that was once purple with strips of blue was now red. I probably looked like Little Red Riding Hood. “This won’t help you much, but it will keep you cooler in the heat. It will also help you become invisible when you need it.”
“Thank you, Zara. I won’t need it, but I will leave it on.”
“Be safe. We believe in you. You were born to do this. Whatever happens, it’s your destiny.” Zara kissed my forehead, then Tara did the same.
Everyone surrounded me. There were no words to say. I was basically walking into a death sentence. It was going to be either Hades or me that would come out alive. Their smiles gave me reassurance, but their eyes were deathly afraid for me.
Inhaling deeply, I steadied myself, then turned to Mason. “Mason, I don’t think you can walk through fire.”
“Sky, I have
“Shit! Nick.” Ian grabbed his chest.
Nick sure knew how to bring sunshine to the rain.
“Don’t ever ask Sky that question,” Mason warned Ian. “Next time, you’ll be grabbing something between your legs.”
Though this was no laughing matter, I had to snicker at that, but it was very short lived.
“Now what?” Everett asked, dropping his sword by his side.
“We pick a cave,” Tara said.
“What? Really? Eeny, meeny, miny, mo.” Nick pointed to the one on the left. “I guess we’re going to that one.”
When we approached the first entrance, fire exploded from the ground, preventing us from going in. I tried to put it out like before, but I couldn’t do it.
“Okay,” Nick sighed, with a hint of disappointment. “I guess we go to the next one.” Nick led us to the second one and the same thing happened, then repeated on the third.
“What now?” I asked in frustration.
“You know what to do,” the voice rang menacingly around us.
His wicked laughter vibrated through the walls. This time, the voice sounded different, a little less forceful, a little less intimidating, and strangely a little less evil. And it was definitely not the voice we had been hearing since the start of this journey. My gut feeling told me that this voice belonged to Hades.
As if he’d put the thought into my mind, I knew exactly what to do. Even knowing Mason would be extremely mad at me for it, there was no choice. We had come this far. I had to do it to save my parents and get us out of there.
“If I come alone, you have to promise me you won’t harm my friends. You have to give them a clear path to home,” I requested, talking to the fire. I had no idea why I was. To me, the being was the flame.
“You dare to bargain with me?”
“Yes, I am, so do it,” I gritted through my teeth in anger. I was surprised at myself for being brave, but I’d had enough. We were down to our last straw, overwhelmed with fatigue.
“Very well. I promise,” it assured.
“You swear it?” I asked sternly.
“You have my word.”
Feeling the weight of everyone’s stare, I turned to the one that mattered the most. Mason looked at me as if I had just told him I didn’t care about him anymore.
“No,” he whispered under his breath, shaking his head. “I have to go with you.” Holding my hand, he spoke again. “I have to go with you, Sky.” He turned to the flame. “You let me go with Sky or there’s no deal.” Mason’s eyes were full of rage. His fists were tight, glowing through the space between his fingers and mine.
“Very well. If you can pass, you can come. That is the deal.”
I let go of Mason’s hand and caught my friends’ eyes one by one, as I prepared for my speech. “My friends, this is where our journey ends. Thank you for coming with me. There are no words to tell you how grateful I am. We all have lost loved ones in the past and in the present, and now it’s time to put this to an end…to a better future. You are ensured a safe road back home. Zara and Tara will lead you back.”
“Sky.” Zara took off her cape and placed it around me. Like magic, the cape that was once purple with strips of blue was now red. I probably looked like Little Red Riding Hood. “This won’t help you much, but it will keep you cooler in the heat. It will also help you become invisible when you need it.”
“Thank you, Zara. I won’t need it, but I will leave it on.”
“Be safe. We believe in you. You were born to do this. Whatever happens, it’s your destiny.” Zara kissed my forehead, then Tara did the same.
Everyone surrounded me. There were no words to say. I was basically walking into a death sentence. It was going to be either Hades or me that would come out alive. Their smiles gave me reassurance, but their eyes were deathly afraid for me.
Inhaling deeply, I steadied myself, then turned to Mason. “Mason, I don’t think you can walk through fire.”
“Sky, I have
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